My best friend from college got married over the weekend and I've been feeling so happy ever since! The next morning Pat and I went to Fells Point in Baltimore before the long drive back up to New England (well, I got off in White Plains, but thanks Pat!). Fells Point was so cute and I wish we could have spent all day there, but we did manage to get some coffee and tacos down by the harbor. I am also feeling excited because I just booked a trip to Los Angeles over Memorial Day weekend to visit Pat! It will be my first time there and we're staying in Venice Beach which makes me so, so happy.

The pistachio theme continues this week with a pistachio olive oil cake with chocolate ganache. I used the pistachio pulp (this sounds weird!) to make flour since I'm trying to stop being so wasteful. The olive oil make the cake really moist and not too sweet and the dark chocolate ganache added a whole new level of richness.

Pistachio Olive Oil Cake with Chocolate Ganache

Cake

3/4 c unbleached flour

1 c pistachio flour

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 c olive oil

1 c sugar

2 large eggs

2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 c heavy cream

1/2 cup chopped raw pistachios (for topping)

Chocolate Ganache

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350ºf. Grease and line an 8” baking dish and set it aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, and baking powder.

In a separate large bowl, mix olive oil and sugar until light. Add the eggs one at a time and mix. Add the vanilla and cream and continue mixing thoroughly. Slowly add the dry ingredients in 2 or 3 batches.

Pour batter into baking pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely and transfer to a wire rack.

For the ganache, place chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl. In a sauce pan, heat heavy cream until it is hot to the touch but not boiling. Pour the cream over the chocolate and whisk quickly until the chocolate has melted and is smooth. If it’s too watery, add more chocolate. Wait for the ganache to cool in the fridge and pour over the cake. Top with chopped pistachios.